As smart phone and tablet computers become more prevalent, the need for an ergonomic handle and a convenient, secure way of mounting these devices has become apparent. Millions of dollars are spent on repairs to phones due to accidental damage each year. Many accessories for these devices are designed to protect the device from damage incurred from dropping the device, but few provide the user with a better grip and reduce the likelihood of dropping the device. And none provide both a better grip while in the users hands and a way of firmly securing the device so that the user may operate the device in a “hands-free” fashion.
There are currently several mounting systems available for smartphones. Methods typically employed for securing a phone to a mount include clamps, magnets, or sticky pads. Clamping the phone on edge, between two surfaces, results in limited accessibility to the buttons typically placed around the periphery of the phone, and a portion of the clamp typically protrudes beyond the plain of the screen of the phone, again limiting access to the control screen. Clamps are also limited in the range that they can open and close, making them incompatible with some devices. Clamps also create a physical challenge when engaging a phone that is difficult to overcome with one hand. Magnetic mounts are easier to operate one-handed and with little physical dexterity; however they don't offer a physical capture of the device, which makes it more susceptible to being knocked off the mount by shock or vibration.
Therefore, a complementary accessory and mounting system is needed that enhances a user's grip on an electronic device and that enables a user to connect the device to a mount that physically captures the device and that permits the user to maintain physical dexterity.